The Salem Witch Trials of 1692

1. The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 By Gloria Sandoval Tahiez Toro DanessaInguito Elizabeth Bermudez

2. Overview • The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693 • More than 200 people were accused for practicing witchcraft – the devil’s magic – and were arrested and accused • At least 24 were executed

3. How it Started • In 1689 a war occurred between the British France in the American colonies • Refugees were sent to the Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony • This caused strain between the different social classes • Reverend Samuel Parris became the first ordained minister and was disliked because of his rigid ways and greedy nature

4. Tensions • The Puritans believed all the quarreling was the work of the devil • Children, Elizabeth and Abigail Williams, daughters of Reverend Parris, were taught witchcraft by their slave Tituba • The girls’ family members began to notice their strange behavior • The girls blamed other adults for inflicting them

5. Witch Hunt • This conflict was taken to the local magistrate on March 1, 1692 • Tituba confessed that she had been working for the devil • She admitted there were other witches looking to destroy the Puritans • Rich and poor, sinners and saints, women and men, and even animals were accused of being witches

6. Resolutions • The local jails began to fill with these people • The accused had no legal representation and much of the testimony was hearsay, gossip, and unscientific assertions • Bridgette Bishop was the first woman hung • Days later, five others were hung as well • The last wave of executions commenced on September 22 • As fall turned to winter, the hysteria subsided